The Simple Peril
by ArthurEKing
Summary: Another DBZ fanfic where someone from the real world gets shoved into the DBZ world. Oh well, I know it's an unoriginal idea, but oh well. I've had this idea for a while, so live with it. *CHAPTER 2 UP AND RUNNING! PLEASE R&R!!!*
1. The Journey

The Simple Peril

  
  


Part I

  
  


The Journey

  
  


By:

  
  


Arthur E. King

  
  
  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: Oh yeah, the story is mine. I'm me. Everything else belongs to someone else. Oh well, big surprise there.

  
  


Author's Notes : 

  
  


Okay... Before you all get your panties in a know, this is going to be pretty much a complete rewrite of the entire DBZ series. The majority of the events are going to be pretty much exactly as they happened in the show, with a few twists. Don't ask me why I'm writing this, I just am. Yeah, I know I never intended to write a self-insertion (there's something naughty about that phrase...) But oh well. Besides, it's a fictional version of me, hehehe.

  
  
  
  


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The couch was wonderfully comfortable. It should be, it cost enough. As he sat down upon the feathery softness, sinking deep into the cushions, Arthur couldn't help but think that this had to be the most perfect moment of his life. He felt as if everything had been leading up to this very moment, and that he was about to become part of something so much greater than himself.

The tape was in the VCR, the stereo was hooked up to the TV with full surround-sound, and the volume turned up high enough to wake the dead. He had set out all the perfect snacks, Pringles Sour-Cream & Onion, Turkish Delight, and the perfect combination of Strawberry-Kiwi Gatorade and Sprite. All that was left was to press play, but he was too excited to do that.

"Man, the only episode of Dragonball Z that was never shown. The hidden ending to the series that was never aired..." Arthur didn't know how the guys had gotten a hold of the tape, and didn't want to know. He knew that it wasn't pretty, the price alone was evidence of that. But he also knew what the man who had the tape before him had said.

"No. I'm never going to sell this tape. No. I've never seen it, and so I can't tell you what's on it either. This tape wasn't meant for human eyes." The scrawny little red-headed man that had that tape seemed afraid, terrified of what was on it. Of course, his words had to be an exaggeration, didn't it?

Well no matter what. This was one episode he was going to see no matter what. He had already seen all the others, from the English dubbed, to the original Japanese, with subtitles, and without. He had learned the language specifically so he could watch the show without the subtitles, not wanting to miss even the tiny piece of film that the subtitles would cover.

To say he was obsessed would have been an understatement, and a grave error if you tried to say it to his face. Here he was, thirty-five years old, a millionaire a hundred times over, and still watching cartoons. His parents would be furious. Oh well.

And yet, this was the one episode that had always eluded him. He had heard about it ten years ago, the only copy of the original final episode. But for some reason, the episode was never aired, and a different final episode was written, produced, and shown in it's place. What was the big secret? That was what he was about to find out.

He was drumming his fingers against the side of the couch, not to any specific beat, but just as an outward sign of all the nervous pent-up energy. Finally, he couldn't take the suspense any longer, took up the remote, and pressed play.

Wow! What colours! It's like it's almost real... He could hardly believe his eyes, not knowing the truth, only knowing that there was something special about this episode. He had heard of people who had tried to watch this tape before, and had had a heart attack halfway through.

So far, to this day, no one had ever actually lived through the entire episode. They always met some untimely doom about halfway through, and were found days later. Well here was one guy who wasn't about to die because of it. There's no such thing as a curse anyways. He couldn't quite convince himself of that one.

Although the beginning credits were roughly the same, there was something different about them, he couldn't quite make it out, but the pulsing music that blared out from the speakers reached a crescendo, and toppled over into the final lengthened note. 

Then the real show began...

  
  
  
  


It really did seem realistic. Almost as if it wasn't a cartoon, but that was just good animation. It must've been years ahead of it's time, it's even better than most of the computer generated ones out there now. That one thought kept swirling through his mind. He sat there and watched as the Z-Team threw a party a couple years after the defeat of Baba-Di and Majinn Buu

All the major characters were there, partying, congratulating each other on their various achievements, and telling tall tales of their former glories. They were all of course at Master Roshi's house, on Turtle Island, and having lots of fun. Everything was blissful and happy, and altogether normal. Why would people die watching this?

Then something weird happened. Another great enemy approached the Earth, and made short work of all the Z-Fighters, even Goku and Vegeta when they used the Fusion technique to combine their powers were easily defeated. How was this possible? Don't the good guys always win?

Apparently not. As Arthur watched, he couldn't believe his eyes as this single warrior defeated all the rest, and proceeded to blast the Earth to bits. He could almost feel the force of the explosion from where he was sitting. But that's not possible, is it? He didn't know.

Then the scene switched to Kaiobit, the Fusion of Shin and Kibito on his home planet. It looked like he was in terrible pain, having just felt millions of voices suddenly cry out in agony, and as suddenly stop. Arthur sat up in his seat, he had stopped snacking quite some time ago, his eyes glued to the screen. This was the best single episode he had ever seen! And better yet, it made sure that the sacrilege of GT never took place!

"There is nothing we can do to save the people of Earth now. At least, not those of this Earth. But perhaps there is still a way to save some of them..." Kaiobit was talking to himself, a habit he had apparently gained when he was Fused together. Then Arthur bore witness as the Supreme God of the Universe created a hole in the fabric of space-time, a swirling blue vortex through which all possibilities lay.

It was several moments before Arthur noticed the breeze. He had heard the faint whir of the air conditioning unit activating just before the he felt it, and thought the draft that blew through his hair was nothing more than that. He was wrong. As the wind grew stronger, he noticed that the direction that it was going in was completely wrong for the AC.

Grumbling about how the servants must have left one of the windows open he got up from the comfort of his living room and went to check it out. He forgot to pause the tape, only expecting to be a moment anyways. It wasn't until he turned down the hallway and saw the great blue swirling vortex that he knew what was happening.

"What the..." were the only words he was able to mutter before he was sucked into that hole in reality, breaking through the dimensional barriers and hurled bodily into a world he had visited so often in his imagination that it felt like home.

  
  
  
  


"Get up."

That voice... I've heard it somewhere before... Arthur woke slowly from the black void of unconsciousness, his eyes slowly adjusting to the too-bright colours, and the lancing pain that shot through his head. He held one hand to his forehead, trying to block the light, and stop the pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have realized the transition wouldn't be easy on you. Allow me." There was that voice again... Then he could feel the pain in his head slipping away, the twitch in his eye disappear, and his aching backside recover from the sudden fall to which it had been subjected to.

Finally, after the healing was over, Arthur could open his eyes without being incapacitated by pain. Looking up into the face of Kaiobit brought forth another, completely different form, of incapacitation. He was speechless. Not a very common occurrence for him, but every so often, something would come along that was so surprising that words could not suffice. Needless to say, this was one of those times.

Eventually though, he managed to stutter out, "Uh... Uh... Wh-Where am I-I?" That too was unusual. Normally he was far more verbose than that.

"You're on the planet Kaioshin. My homeworld. I'm not exactly sure who you are, or where you came from, but what I do know, is that you are the one and only person who can save this Universe. That is why you are here." Kaiobit's voice had a calming influence on him, almost as healing an effect as his power had earlier.

Still, Arthur's mind had a hard time wrapping itself around the concept. "How?" He let the one word speak for itself. I sure am glad he had the forethought to make certain the gravity around the vortex was low enough for me

"How are you here? I brought you here. Granted I'm not at all sure just who you are. But of all the people in all the Universes you are the one whom I seek. The vortex you just traveled through was designed to bring the one person who had the best chance to save this Universe to me. As to how you're supposed to do that... I have no idea." Although he words were not comforting, the tone was, and Arthur felt more relaxed than he ever had before in his life.

"Okay... So I've somehow been brought to this Universe to save it... But you don't know how, and neither do I. Am I correct in assuming that Earth was just destroyed, and all the people on it killed, including all the warriors who you know of, that might have any chance of defeating the guy who destroyed it?" His voice was strong now, determined. He was a quick learner, having managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together rather quickly.

Kaiobit was surprised, but not very. "Yes. You are correct. Although how you know this, I am not certain. I have no knowledge of who the being is who destroyed the planet, but whoever it was is a dangerous man, and must be stopped, before he destroys the entire Universe."

Arthur was nodding his head. I'm either dreaming, or dead, and in either case, I might as well just play along with this fantasy world. Besides, it'll probably be the most fun I've had in months. Having accepted this world as real, at least for now, he made up his mind to save it rather quickly.

"Well I always wanted to change a few things that happened in the series, and I guess now's my chance. I don't think that there's any way I could defeat this guy myself, but I guess we'll go see what I can do..." Kaiobit too was nodding his head, not knowing what this human had in store, but willing to try anything if it might save his Universe from total destruction.

Doing some quick thinking, Arthur came up with a plan, not knowing if it would work or not, but at least willing to give it a try. "I don't suppose you would happen to know if any of those time machines Bulma created still exist do you? I think I'm going to need one." 

Reluctantly, Kaiobit nodded. Arthur could tell that this was a subject that the God had trouble discussing. I would be too... Knowing that there were other versions of me floating around out there... But without further comment, the Supreme God of the Universe merely handed Arthur a large, yellow pill-shaped object marked "Capsule Corp." in big bold writing.

Pushing the button on the side, and tossing it off to the side, he saw the large cloud of dust and smoke appear from nowhere, and slowly dissipate to show a small yellow vehicle with multiple leg-like struts, and the word "Hope" printed on the side. Getting into the time-capsule, and taking a look at the console, he started to fiddle around with a few of the buttons inside.

"Um... I don't suppose you could show me how to work this thing... Could you?" Arthur's voice broke with nervousness, almost as if he was a teenager again. But Kaiobit just smiled, nodded, showed him a few keystrokes that would allow him to pinpoint exactly where and when he wanted to go, and stepped down.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Do you think I could borrow those Potara of yours? I think I just might need them..." His nervousness was gone now, replaced by a mix of grim determination and jubilant anticipation.

"Sure..." Kaiobit was too surprised by the question to do anything other than just hand over the two little orbs that were attached to his ears. The Supreme God of the Universe had no idea just how important that act would prove to be in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps it was better that way...

Arthur waved at the Supreme God of the Universe, not sure if he'd ever see him again, but glad to be off on his journey anyhow. Perhaps the winds of fate would allow him to showcase his fantastic ideas, and perhaps he would suffer the same fate as the rest of the people on Earth. Who knew? All he knew was that this was going to be lots of fun, and right now that was all that mattered.

  
  



	2. The Wonders of Modern Technology

The Simple Peril

  
  


Part II

  
  


The Wonders of Modern Technology

  
  


By:

  
  


Arthur E. King

  
  
  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own DBZ... I own Arthur E. King, and that's about it.

  
  
  
  


Author's Notes : I'd like to thank four people right now... 

  
  


Neko~Chan - Think you need more support... 

  
  


LadyRivka - Thanks for the review... Don't worry... we're only just now getting to the interesting part...

  
  


Echoes of the mind - Sorry Dude, but yes, I'm stealing part of your idea (the self-insertion idea) but I think that it's been done enough that even though your stories gave me the gumption to get up and do this fic, the idea itself I don't think belongs to anyone.

  
  


Vincent Wolf - See above.

  
  


And now, onto the actual story...

  
  


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Man, it's been a rough couple days trying to get Bulma to make these for me. But it was worth it... Hopefully, with these, and my knowledge it will be enough. Arthur kept thinking to himself while traveling back to the very beginning. Although it was only a few days for him, it was decades to Bulma and her father, as together they researched all the known technologies, just so they could get a handle on what he was asking of them.

He had had to make sure they didn't destroy Dr. Gero's secret laboratory, or Nappa's space-pod, or king Cold's spaceship, or a dozen other examples of high technology that might prove useful in the creation of these devices, and others. It was actually a lot easier than he had expected, but a lot harder than it sounds.

Now he had everything he needed, or at least everything he could imagine needing, and hoped it would be enough. He had set the coordinates for the day before the arrival of Raditz on Earth. It was time to begin.

  
  
  
  


"Yes Mr. Popo, I think the flowers do need a little more water." Up on Kami's lookout, high above the Earth, everything seemed peaceful and serene. That is until a large peal of thunder boomed out into the air, and the roar of jet engines slowly lowering themselves to the ground, impeded on their tranquil silence.

It was only a few minutes before the engines were cut off, and the time capsule settled down onto the hard tiled surface, but that was more than enough for the green Guardian of the Earth to be scared witless.

As Arthur slowly climbed out of the weird, technological thing, the two stood dumbfounded, as if what was happening, couldn't possibly happen. Or could it? While they stood there like statues, Arthur dusted off several decades worth of dust from his pants, tucked his shirt back in, and tried fruitlessly to fix his hair.

"Oh hey! Kami! Mr. Popo! I'm glad i made it here in time. I DID make it here on time didn't I? Radtiz hasn't arrived yet has he? I'd hate to have to go through all of this all over again, I mean it was enough hassle the first time, I'd hate to do it again." Arthur's rambling speech only served to further confuse and befuddle the guardian and his friend.

"Umm... Just who ARE you?" Kami's first words in this time had been heard by Arthur's ears about a thousand times already, and they were starting to grate on his nerves. "Why does everyone keep asking that? I should think it was fairly obvious that I came from the future... what with the pod CLEARLY marked 'Time Capsule # 3' right on the side. Why does nobody ever stop to LOOK anymore? Sheesh!"

If it was possible, their faces were even MORE startled than before, which really is saying something. "Our... Future?" That was Mr. Popo, the guy always did have a knack for stating the obvious.

With a resigned sigh, and a large intake of air into lungs that were going to need them, Arthur began his story, yet again. "Okay, here goes, for the umpteenth time. My name is Arthur. I'm from the future, I'm trying to stop something really bad from happening, so you have to take my advice on this one. If you want to test me, go right ahead, I know just about everything there is to know about you guys."

Before the other two had a chance to open their mouths to respond, Arthur took in another breath and continued on. "However, if you'll just listen to me for a minute, I'm sure you'll believe me, and understand my motives. First off, as I already said, a guy Raditz is going to show up in a couple days. Goku's evil brother, comes to earth shakes things up a bit, and in the battle to defeat him, Goku ends up dying."

"Now it is imperative that you ALLOW Goku to die, because he's got to train with King Kai before some OTHER aliens, far more powerful by the way, come to Earth. BUT, there are a few things you can do, with my help, to allow Goku a little more time, a little more training, and a whole lot more power."

"First off, take this capsule to King Yemma in the Other World, it's a portable gravity generator, so Goku can have some experience training at increased gravity levels. Second, make sure that Goku DOES train with King Yemma, for about two weeks, before going down snake way. That should give him enough time and training to get to King Kai's in time."

"But of course, that ain't gonna be enough to defeat these new aliens, so you're gong to have to take on some new pupils." With a gleam in my eye, I reach into a large sack and pull out five non-assuming circles of a weird greyish semi-metallic material. "These here armbands are specifically created for Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chai-Tzu, and of course Yajirobe."

Arthur handed over the armbands and capsule to Mr. Popo, letting Kami slowly absorb his words. Only then did he continue. "Yes, you're going to have to get those five up here as soon as possible. At most, a week, no longer than that, because they're going to need every minute you can spare to train them right. Believe me, with these aliens, you're going to need it."

I could practically see the thoughts running over Kami's face as he digested my words. Who is this young man? Where did he come from? How did he know these things? What has he asked me to do really? Give some things to some people, that might very well help them... To save the Earth? Why not? 

Before the Guardian of the Earth opened his mouth to accept, I nodded in agreement, said a simple, "Thanks. You'll appreciate it." With a smile plastered over my face, and waved fairwell. "See you in seven days!"

  
  
  
  


"Hey, why are we all just standing around? I'm gonna go get some lunch..." Yajirobe's annoying baritone droned on in the background, and just as he moved to leave the wash from the jet engines bowled him head over heels, his little robe pooling about his waist as he did an impromptu headstand.

While the others tried to hide smiles behind fingertips, Arthur the noise quieted, and the strange, tall, thin man stepped lighting from the ladder that led down the plain white tiled surface of Kami's Lookout. Seven days to the second after his first arrival, the other had already assembled as per instructions, and were ready to begin their training.

"Well, I see you're all here, which is good, because the enemy you'll be facing in one years time will be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. You'll throw everything you've got at it, and it'll just come back laughing, begging for more. I know you don't believe me now, but you don't have to. All you have to do is listen to what I have to say, and follow my directions precisely, otherwise this world hasn't really got much of a chance."

It was a fine speech, well-tailored, fine-tuned, and flawlessly presented. It was also just words. All too soon, those words would be followed by action.

"But isn't Goku going to help? I mean sure he couldn't beat his brother without help, but he's undergoing special training. Won't that be enough?" Krillin was always the perceptive one, but counted on his friends help too much.

"Good question Krillin, and the answer is yes, Goku is receiving special training, and yes, he'll be able to beat these guys to a pulp once he gets here. But there's only one problem. These Saiyajinn are going to get here WAY before he does, and you're going to have to stall them. You're going to have to keep them busy, and stop them from destroying the planet until Goku gets here."

That one almost put the fear into them, almost, but not quite. They still didn't quite understand just how serious the situation really was, and how dire. "Still don't believe me? Well I've got something here that will convince you otherwise." Yajirobe finally got off his fat arse, and waddled over to stand with the others, the awed expressions on their faces keeping him silent.

Once they were all assembled, and attentive, I pushed a button on my own version of their wristbands, and begun the holo-recording of their struggles against Nappa. The deaths of Yamcha, Chaio-Tzu, and Tien all came as a shock, but when they proved too much for even the mighty Piccolo, their faces showed only blind terror, and uncomprehending consternation.

When it was over, it was Yamcha that spoke first. "Was that real? Could there really be someone that strong?" I only nodded my head in answer, to which their reply was pensive silence.

"Didn't we train in that future too? I mean I could see that we were doing a lot of stuff we can't do right now, we must've been training a lot, but it wasn't enough, was it? What can we do differently?" Chaio-Tzu's voice was just as high-pitched and annoying as I remembered, and his question was one I had been eagerly anticipating.

I smiled. "I was wondering when you would get around to asking me. Allow me to introduce you to your P.E.G. Or Personal Environmental Generator. The little armband I gave Kami to give to you guys. I see you're all wearing yours, now it's time to see what they can do. Just push the little white button there, no, not that button, the other one, there you go."

The strain in their faces was almost as much a joy as was the surprise. "Woah! I feel like I weight twice as much as I did before, I can hardly move!" Yamcha again, always complaining.

"Ahhh, it's not that bad, I can move, but I can't hardly breath!" Krillin just accepted it mostly, and was beginning to test things.

Yajirobe on the other hand was on the ground, trying to hyperventilate and pass out at the same time. "Woah! What's going on here!" The others looked over at him, and although they tried not to, couldn't help but giggle as the poor man was alternately crawling and panting, gasping for breath.

"Don't worry, they won't kill you. They've actually been specifically tuned to your own individual needs. The reason why yours is so much worse than the others Yajirobe, is because you're a fat lazy slob, and we're here to turn you into a REAL warrior." The words were harsh, my voice no less so, but it was the stern commanding voice of a drill Sergent, mean, but with purpose.

"So that means no more lying down on the job, eating lunch while the others are training. You're going to get just as powerful as the rest of them, or die trying. We're going to turn you into a warrior if it's the last thing we do." Only then did I address the others. "And that goes for the rest of you too... I'm going to be here for a little while at least, helping you to learn how to use your armbands, and helping you learn just how to push your bodies farther than they've ever been pushed before."

  
  
  
  


Three days later, I was just about ready to pack up my stuff and head on out to my next stop, but I still had a few loose ends to tie up. Walking over to Kami, who was looking down on his planet, I stood there, patiently waiting until he decided to break the comfortable silence.

"I see you are leaving again, and I think I know where. I just want to warn you that he is a dangerous man, and you should be very careful." Kami's voice and presence both soothed me, calmed my fears and allowed me to speak clearly of what I intended.

"True, he is dangerous. But he is also very intelligent, and not without honour. He will not strike me, that I know, for all his hatred is reserved for one, and I am not him." Kami nodded, waiting for me to speak my peace, for what I really came here for.

"You know though, that it will not be enough. Even with my help, they will still fail, but they will most assuredly buy enough time for Goku's arrival. Don't worry about it though, I'm doing all this for a reason, but I can't tell you what, no need to make you worry needlessly. Just trust that everything will turn out for the best in the end, and it will."

Kami only smiled, nodded once, almost imperceptibly and returned to watering the flowers that were so beautiful up here, so high above the Earth's surface that you could see the curvature of the planet, and even make out a few bright stars in the mid-morning sky. There was little or nothing left to say, and so I turned to leave.

Calling back over my shoulder, I said one more thing. "Oh yeah, make sure Yajirobe learns to fly. He's gonna need it." I laughed aloud at that, imagining the fat samurai flying through the air, then walked back to my pod, and fled this peaceful serenity high above the clouds.

  
  
  
  



End file.
